Annnabeth's Birthday
by whispered touches
Summary: It's been a year since Percy defeated Kronos. He's back at camp with all the new cabins and campers, and life couldn't get better. That is, until he sees he only has two weeks to find a gift for the girl of his dreams!
1. Another Summer

**Okay, so here's the new version. Most of the first chapter is the same, except for the end. So, here it is again, Annabeth's Birthday. To the bottom! =P  
Disclaimer: Only Rick owns PJO. I'm not Rick.**

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Percy's POV

I woke up to ocean sounds on my alarm clock. I sat up groggily and hit SNOOZE. I could already hear the bustling of all the new campers. Last summer I had defeated Kronos and the gods had granted me a wish. I had wished for all the gods and all the gods' children to be properly recognized, so now there were thirty-something cabins at Camp Half-Blood.

I stood up and went to take a shower. I came out, completely dry of course, and threw on a Camp Half-Bloof T-shirt and some jeans. I stuck Riptide in my pocket and walked outside. Then something tackled me in a hug - something with blond hair. "Hello, Wise Girl. Good morning to you, too."

My girlfriend smiled and gave me a quick kiss. "Good morning, Seaweed Brain." She let go of me and we laced our hands together, heading towards the dining pavilion for breakfast. We chatted a little bit; today was the official first day of summer session, and I had gotten in late last night.

We had to part ways once we got there because of the rule that you had to sit at your godly parent's table. She went to the Athena table, and I went to the Poseidon table. I was actually pretty relieved that my father had been kidding when he said he was going to send me some new siblings this summer. I still felt like a normal demigod, even though I was a son of the Big Three, but having a half brother or sister would've made my life a whole lot more complicated.

I looked around. The pavilion had been expanded to fit all of the tables, and I could see a lot of my friends that had survived the battle last year: Clarrise, Nico, Will Solace from Apollo, and so many others. I could also see new faces; children of the minor gods, probably.

I smiled at Annabeth as I returned to my table after sacrificing some sausage for Poseidon. She smiled back as I dug in to my eggs and blue milk. I finished quickly and headed over to the sword arena.

Once there, I saw some campers that looked a lot like Charles Beckendorf had; tall and muscular. Hephaestus's kids.

I walked up to them. "Hey, guys." I said.

Jake Mason, the head counselor, looked at me. "Oh, hey Percy. Need to duel?"

"Sure, why not?" He looked a little nervous at my eagerness. I wasn't at all scared - I had been told I was the best swordsman in the last hundred years or so, since Luke. Just thinking about him made me a little sad. I had resented him so much, even though he had turned out to be a hero.

Jake pressed me hard. I chanced a glance at some of his half-siblings. Some of them looked smaller, and I figured they must be new. I decided to try a disarming maneuver Luke taught me my very first week at camp. Then, it had been with an unbalanced sword, and I had done it easily. Now, with Riptide, I had my sword at his chest in two seconds. "And that's how it's done."

He wiped some sweat off his brow. "Dang, Percy, how did you get so good?"

I shrugged. "Beats me. See you later." I started out of the arena and bumped into who else but Annabeth. "Hey again, Wise Girl." I leaned in for a kiss but she leaned back and said, "Go take a shower, you smell disgusting."

I had an idea. I felt the ocean inside of me, a familiar tug in my gut, and suddenly we were both drenched in water. I was clean and dry, and Annabeth was dripping wet. It reminded me of my first day at camp, when I practically flooded the bathroom. "Here," I took her hand and she was immediately dry.

"Thanks," she said as she kissed me.

"So," I started, "what are you doing for the rest of the day?"

She looked at me. "Actually, nothing. Everything's been sorta low key, you know. Well, lower than before..." She drifted off, and I knew she was talking about before Kronos rose. Just then, I heard someone calling, "Annabeth! Annabeth!" She looked back, and then at me again. "I'll see you later." She gave me another quick kiss and dashed off.

I walked back to my cabin and took a look at the calendar over my bed. I saw I had a date circled for two weeks from now. I read it, and it said, "Annabeth's Birthday." Oh crap! I didn't have a present for her. I pulled out a notebook from under my bunk. A couple weeks ago I had come up with some ideas. I dashed off toward the Apollo cabin.

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**Cliffie! Tell me how you liked it! Sorry if it sucks, I am out of the ideas I had a week ago. R&R! =P**


	2. A Friend's Help

**Now, it changes a bit more. So, here's chapter two! Bottom, away! =P  
Disclaimer: Rick or me? Rick.**

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I made my way to Cabin Seven and knocked on the golden door. I waited for a minute and thought about Annabeth. What would she want? It had to be something pretty big. I mean, this was the first time I was actually her _boyfriend _on her birthday. "Percy?" a familiar voice asked.

I shook myself out of my thoughts and focused. Standing in front of me was a tall-ish, blond-haired, brown-eyed guy. Will Solace. He'd become one of my close friends ever since he'd saved Annabeth's life last summer(long story).

"Hey Will," I said.

"What are you-"

"Listen, Annabeth's birthday is in two weeks and..." I trailed off. As a son of Apollo, Will had more experience with girls than I did.

"Ah," he said. "I see."

I looked over his shoulder to the inside of the cabin. Will's half-siblings were giving us weird looks. "Can we talk somewhere more...private?" I asked.

Will looked behind him. "Oh...yeah, sure. Carry on, guys." He closed the door of the Apollo cabin behind him as he walked outside.

After a few minutes of silent walking, we were already halfway to the glittering canoe lake. "So," Will said, "what did you have in mind?"

I pulled out my notebook and a pen - not Riptide - and handed them to him. He looked through the list, nodding or shaking his head occasionally, or saying, "No," or "Maybe." We sat down on the dock that we'd reached. I looked over and saw that he had crossed everything off the list except "owl necklace." I grimaced. I'd put that down because I'd been running out of ideas. It didn't seem enough, not even if it was 20 carot gold. Annabeth wasn't that interested in material things. I guess that's sort of thanks to the "brain child" thing. I looked back. Will was starting to sketch a drawing of an actual owl necklace. It was silver, had saphirres for eyes and I could tell it would match the earrings her dad gave her perfectly. "Dang, Will," I said. "I didn't know you could draw so well."

Will blushed a little and shrugged. "You never asked. Besides, I've seen Annabeth enough at the archery range. She always wears those earrings. I remember the day she came before you guys went into the Labyrinth. She hit the bullseye nearly every time, and she stayed for like two hours. She was really determined."

I blushed a little. Back then, Annabeth and I had never been close to dating. But she started stressing out over her quest, and I had hugged her for the first time. Then her half-brother, Malcolm, had come and told Annabeth her tight schedule. I hadn't seen her that day until dinner.

Suddenly, I had an idea. "Do you think Jake could whip something like this up? I mean, I know it's a tiny necklace, but he's almost as good as Beckendorf was. Somebody from Aphrodite could help." I almost felt tears come to my eyes. I had always blamed myself for Beckendorf's death, and his girlfriend, Silena Beauregard, had been Luke's spy at camp for years. She was Aphrodite's daughter. _Man, _I thought. _I need to stop thinking about people who are dead. That's Nico's job! _

Will nodded. "Yeah, probably. He's a good friend of mine. He and I go way back, actually. He lived by me when we were little."

I smlied a little at that. Nobody at Camp Half-Blood usually ever talked about their past much, and when they did you knew they trusted you. "Can you bring this design to him?" I asked. "It looks perfect."

"Sure, Percy. You know, you still owe me."

"Oh, come on! We were in a war! Even if it was Clarrise in that condition I would've gotten you!" That got him. Everyone at camp knew how much I hated the Ares cabin, and vice versa. Especially Clarrise. "Anyway, thanks. See you at dinner?"

Will laughed and showed off his perfectly white teeth. "Yeah, I'd go on a hunger strike until you payed me back. Duh! Later." He headed back to his cabin, and I to mine, until a new Aphrodite girl stopped me. She was definitely flirty, and I knew this wouldn't end well.

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**Ooh, MAJOR cliffie! This has a lot to do with the story that I left out last time! R&R! Bye-bye for now! =P**


	3. The Aphrodite Girl

**Kay kay, here's chapter 3 for the first time ever! Yay me! I'm updating fast! Kay! See you at the bottom, peoples! =P  
Disclaimer: You're pathetic.**

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The Aphrodite girl was batting her eyelashes. Yep, she definitely must be new. And when I say new, I mean brand-spanking, fresh-out-of-the-packaging new. Everyone, even people who got here yesterday or something, knew my story, from my first year to last year. And when I say last year, I mean all of last year. Yes, I know, I'm saying "I mean" a lot. But it's needed here. Anyway, almost everyone knows that the night after the Great Prophecy was fulfilled and Luke sacrificed himself, Annabeth and I officially hooked up. Good times...

_Flashback _**(A/N: Sorry, couldn't resist!)**

_"You saved the world," she said._

_"We saved the world."_

_"And Rachel is the new Oracle, which means she won't be dating anybody."_

_"You don't sound disappointed."_

_"I don't care."_

_"Uh-huh."_

_"You got something to say to me, Seaweed Brain?"_

_I brushed the cake off my hands. "When I was at the River Styx, turning invulnerable...Nico said I had to focus on one thing that kept me grounded to the world, that made mme want to stay mortal."_

_She kept her eyes on the horizon. "Yeah?"_

_"And then on Olympus, when they wanted to make me a god and stuff, I kept thinking-"_

_"Oh you so wanted to."_

_"Well, maybe a little. But I didn't becuase...becasue I didn't want things to stay the same for eternity, becuase things could always get better. And I was thinking..."_

_"Anyone in particular?" Annabeth said, her voice incredibly soft. I looked over and saw she was trying not to smile._

_"You're laughing at me!" I complained._

_"I am not!"_

_"You are _so _not making this easy."_

_Then she laughed for real, and put her hands around my neck. "I am never, _ever _going to make things easy for you, Seaweed Brain. Get used to it."_

_When she kissed me, I got the feeling my brain was melting right through my body. _**(A/N: I don't have my book right now, it's lent out, but I'm pretty sure that part is close enough.)**

That was the best and the worst day of my life, easy. So many of my friends died...I tried not to think about it. I focused my attention back on the Aphrodite girl, and she was saying something about how she's been watching me for a while, and she thinks I'm really cool. Before I had a chance to react, she was all over me in a kiss. Oh yeah, this was definitely and Aphrodite girl. I'd heard from some people that their lips had grips like iron. If they kissed you, they wouldn't stop until they wanted to or it was urgent. I was trying frantically to unlock her lips from mine, but to no avail. She just stood there, kissing me, and luckily enough for me, I'd decided to take an out-of-the-way route back to my cabin, so there wasn't anybody to see us and start rumors flying around. Suddenly, I heard a loud, "PERSEUS JACKSON! WHAT IN THE HADES ARE YOU DOING?!"

Oh. Shit. That was my only thought. I knew that voice anywhere. Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh ****ing shit! I was about ready to die, and I knew that this person was the only person who could kill me, other than Ethan Nakamura's ghost. This person was the only person who knew where my Achilles spot was. Just as I started thinking about that, I realized how tired I was. Crap. Me + tired + angry girlfriend = complete disaster. I finally felt the new Aphrodite girl's lips unlock from mine, but her face was replaced by a fuming Annabeth's. I'd never seen Annabeth this mad before, which I knew was a very, very bad thing. Even if she isn't this mad, she's still so scary it's scary. That may not make sense to you, but to me...I almost shuddered.

"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? WHY WERE YOU KISSING THAT SCUM?" It's a good thing that girl had left, becuase Annabeth's head would already be off.

"Annabeth! I-I d-d-didn't-" I stuttered.

"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT!" she screamed at me. "THAT'S IT, PERCY! WE'RE DONE! I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU EVER AGAIN..." Annabeth was bawling now. I tried to comfort her, but she just swatted me away. "DON'T TOUCH ME!"

Then she ran away with tears streaming down her face.

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**Aww. I know, sad. But there is a hidden meaning. LOL! I'm sorry not that. I juts accidentally wrote two t's instead of one after but, so it spelled butt. I know, I'm so immature. LOL! Omg, I'm such a retard. Anyway, this chapter sort of sets the idea for the entire story. R&R! See you guys laterz! =P**


	4. I Get Advice From Death and the Sun

**Alright! I'm here! Let's get back to buisness. Read on! The bottom, away! =P  
Disclaimer: I'm not going to bother.**

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I knew better than to follow Annabeth. When she was this upset, things could only get worse. The only problem was, I also knew she was never going to listen to anything I had to say again. Even if I managed to catch Grover off duty, if she even heard my name she would either start bawling or take somebody's head off. I wouldn't prefer the latter.

So, instead of running after her, I hiked over to the Hades cabin to talk to Nico. His cabin looked awesome: black obsidian walls with skeleton guards and Greek fire that burned 24/7. I knocked on the door. The guards looked at me with their empty eye sockets, and I'll admit I was a little creeped out. Of course Nico would love these guys. When he opened the door, I saw that he was wearing his usual ripped black jeans, some black Converse, a black shirt with a skull on it and a leather jacket. He'd grown a couple inches over the summer. "Wha-oh, hey Percy. Come on in."

I stepped through the doorway, and I saw how Nico had decorated the place. It wasn't much, but it still looked like and child of death would be priveliged to live here. "So what seems to be the problem?" my little half-cousin asked. I told him about the Aphrodite girl, and how she kissed me and Annabeth had misunderstood. Nico nodded. Ever since his dead sister Bianca had helped him get over his anger issues with me, we'd become pretty close. He wasn't all that bad, and I think being accepted into Camp was the best thing that ever happened to him.

When I was finishd, Nico sighed. "You know, this was probably gonna happen sooner or later." I thought back to what Chiron had told me when I'd returned from Ogygia(long story): _Annabeth is very territorial about her friends. _Oh gods. She'd had a crush on me back then - don't ask me how I know that, it's another, much, much longer story - and she'd nearly killed me with a hug. Oh gods! Why did my luck have to be this bad? I sighed. I figured she would get over it in the next few days.

Of course, I was never right.

The next day, Annabeth avoided all eye contact possible with me. And she sped off from activity to activity as fast as she could. By lunch I figured I shouldn't bother trying. This was the most upset I'd seen her, and if I couldn't fix it then, I couldn't fix it now. I decided to go talk to Will again. He'd know what to do...right?

I saw Will at the archery range. No surprise there. If he wasn't doing another "mandatory" activity or at his cabin or the dining pavilion, he was busy shooting some arrows.

I walked up to him just after he'd hit a perfect bullseye. He noticed me. "Hey Percy. What's up?"

I sighed. I hadn't told anybody yet but Nico, and he was a lot closer to me than Will was. Still, I really thought he could help. "Well, there's a new girl in the Aphrodite cabin-"

"Felicia," Will told me.

"Yeah. And she walked up to me and kissed me in that daughter-of-Aphrodite sort of way. And Annabeth saw..."

His eyes widened. "I'm guessing she got the wrong idea?"

I nodded. "What should I do? I know better than to try to talk to her. And she's been avoiding me all day."

He thought for a minute. Finally he said, "Honestly, Percy? I really don't know. I've never had a girlfriend as territorial as Annabeth." I glared at him. Will got the message - very clearly, I might add - and quickly added, "Not that that's a bad thing! Chill, man! You guys are the heroes of Olympus and all. Not a lot of people would show it, but we're all really grateful to you."

I wanted to blush, but I just nodded firmly. I wasn't used to people telling me they were thankful for me saving the world. It took so much. From my first adventure to get Zeus's master bolt back and my fight with Ares, to saving Grover and getting the Golden Fleece in the Sea of Monsters, to...saving Annabeth from holding the sky, to navigating the Labyrinth, to my big prophecy.

"Well, thanks anyway. Tell me if you get an idea or something. Later," I said.

"See you at dinner."

I headed toward the beach to think.

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**Okay, yeah, this chapter sucked but my creative juices are running low. I've got a big end-of-school party tomorrow and I gotta dress up nice and crap. Well, my outfit is actually nice, but you get the point. Okay, peace! R&R! =P**


	5. The Seaweed Brain Thinks

**Okay, here I am again. My party was awesome and I was swimming for three hours straight! Now I think I pulled my ankle and it hurts like crap. Oh, and I got a new cell phone! So, I've been messing around with it all day, but it as to charge, blah blah blah. So here's chapter 5! Bottom, here I come! =P**

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I sat down on the soft white sand. I thought back to the time four years ago when Hermes came to visit me and sent me off onto my - well, technically Clarrisse's - quest into the Sea of Monsters. I chuckled at the thought of George and Martha, and what they were arguing about now. And then my thoughts strayed to Hermes's new kids that I'd sent Nico to find with his shadow travelliness. They were all boys, and they all painfully reminded me of Luke. Now, I envied him. He didn't have to deal with this stuff, he was happy in Elysium. Either that, or he really did choose rebirth and was living his second life.

_I need to stop thinking, just for a minute, _I thought. I stood up and jumped into the Long Island Sound. I dove deep, and as I got further away from the surface, the creatures got stranger. Some were weird, but still familiar, like the hippocampi. I saw Rainbow, Tyson's special hippocampus, swimming around with his buddies that had helped us that summer in the Sea of Monsters.

They bowed their heads to me. _My Lord, _they spoke in my mind.

I also saw some Nereids, spirits of the sea. They just gave me a smile and a small nod.

Then, of course, there were the regular fish. I automatically knew their homes and names. There was Coral, Pearl, Marlin, Nemo, Dory, Crush, Squirt, Bruce, Gill, and so on. Yeah, I know, Finding Nemo flashbacks, but it was a true story. Yes, Gill and the rest of the tank gang made it out of their plastic bags and into the ocean.

Then I saw a huge boulder. It was half-sunken into the sand, and that half was as tall as the Poseidon Cabin. Even though Cabin Three was a low one in particular, it was more like a bunker. It was still a building, and buildngs by my definition were at least ten feet tall, which means the cabin qualified.

I swam up to it. I rubbed my hand against it, and sand wiped off, revealing a smooth off-white surface. A pearl. I gasped. I touched it again, and its past came rushing to me. It was prehistoic, as in dinosaur-time prehistoric. Annabeth would freak out when I showed her this. Oh crap. There I go again. I sighed sadly and shot back toward the surface and the beach, to actually get some brainstorming done.

I was once again completely dry, and not tired, even with the Styx inside of me. Thank you, water healing me. I sat back down on the shore. "So, what do you intend to do?"

I jumped. There, sitting next to me, was my father. I hadn't seen him since he'd thanked me for saving Olympus. Thinking back on that, this was about the same spot he'd talked to me at. "Hi, Dad. Good to see you again."

Poseidon smiled at me. "Good to see you too, Percy. Now, about my question..."

I knew what he meant. "I don't know. I know Annabeth well enough to know she's not going to listen to me, and I can't find anyone to talk to. Nico and Will don't know what to do and - "

"Percy, think about your other friends. They could assist you."

I thought about that for a minute. I looked at my father again. "Just know I'm sending help your way," he said. Then he dissappeared in his usual fashion, on a cool sea breeze.

I walked back to my cabin, though my pace was slow. Annabeth would be impressed to see how hard I was thinking. Sending help my way... I pushed open the door and walked over to the sink. I started to rinse my mouth out. Ugh, that Aphrodite girl was gonna pay one day in capture the flag or sword practice. Some way. Maybe I could get the Stoll brothers to pull a prank on her.

My mind returned to brainstorming. So far, I wasn't making any headway. Not a single idea occured to me. The conch horn blew suddenly, and I made it to the dining pavilion without any new campers staring at me. I sat down, had my food, yadda yadda. Annabeth still wouldn't meet my eyes, but Will dropped a note on my plate as he walked by. It said:

_Meet me by the dock on the canoe lake when you're finished eating._

I looked over at him across the sea of tables. He nodded at me and cleaned up his plate. I didn't have much of an appetite, so I did the same and caught up with him.

"What's up?" I asked him. "Any ideas?"

The son of Apollo looked at me. "Well... Jake finished Annabeth's necklace." He held up a silver chain with a matching owl charm that looked exactly like his sketch. He also pulled out a black velvet box and placed it inside. I took it from him and stuck it in my pocket.

"If you see him, tell him I said thanks."

Will nodded. "And about ideas..."

My face lit up. "Yeah?"

He seemed to cheer up at my eagerness. "Okay..."

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**Yeah! I'm good at cliffies! Again, sorry for the overall crappieness, it's almost like I have a hangover without the headache. I'm just really tired. So, R&R! Peas on Earth! =P**


	6. I Have to Save the World

**Alright, here's Will's plan. Sorta. If you read the first version, you _might _know what it is...or you might not. ;) Okay, so here we go! Bottom, away! =P**

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"Well..." He started. "First things first. Go get your iPod." I pulled a blue rectangle out of my pocket. "Okay, now let me see it."

I handed it to him and he began scrolling through songs. It was like he was looking at my notebook again, nodding or shaking his head, saying "Mm hm," or "Gods, no!" He would even occasionally start humming a tune from one of the songs. After about two minutes of scrolling through my two hundred or so songs, Will froze and his eyes widened just a fraction of a degree. "This one. This is perfect." He had the earbuds in his ears. I looked at what he was listening to. It said, _I'd Come for You, Nickelback, Dark Horse. _I played the song through in my mind. It was one of my favorites, and yes, I like Nickelback. I just wanted to know Will's plan.

"So, what is this for?" I asked him, confusion evident across my face.

Will didn't answer. "Meet me back here tomorrow after breakfast. Bring this." He wiggled my iPod in bewteen his fingers and tossed it back to me. Then he walked off.

I just stood there. I had no idea what he was planning, and it worried me slightly. Will was pretty smart for an Apollo kid - not that they're stupid, that's the Ares kids - but he was still a teenager. Of course, I was too, but he was the one helping me in this situation. As my mind raced, the canoe lake seemed more wavy. Even though I was the one doing it, it made me more uncomfortable. Just my connection with the water, I guess. Then, the last person I expected to sit down next to me did.

"Hey."

I said nothing.

"I heard. It's gone around pretty quick. You okay?"

I remained silent, staring at the waves I was making.

"Percy? Helloooo? Earth to Perseus?"

I looked at Grover. **(A/N: GOTCHA! Maybe.) **His horns had grown even more, and his goatee was half-full now. I was really glad to see him, but I didn't, couldn't show it. My mental gears were turning faster than they had in a long time. What was Will's plan? How was this gonna help with Annabeth? Were Annabeth and I ever gonna be the same? And the last and least important: Who was that Aphrodite girl?! It was all driving me nuts. "Hey, G-man. Good to see you again."

I must've sounded really down, because Grover frowned at me. "So what's on your mind? Other than..."

"Well, Will had an idea, but he wouldn't tell me outright what it was. And earlier my dad showed up and said, 'I'm sending help your way' or something like that. I just can't think straight."

My satyr best friend rolled his eyes at me. "Don't you think I already knew that? Empathy link?"

"Then why did you ask?"

"Because your mind is too mixed up for specifics. Right now you just gave me the general crap again. Now, tell me what happened."

I explained everything to him, from my first talk with Will up until about now. When I finished, Grover looked sympathetic. He always was. But it seemed like there was more on his face than usual. I envied him, too. He'd never had problems with Juniper. Not that I'd heard of, anyhow. "What do I do?" I asked him.

He sighed. "You should just wait and hear what Will's idea is tomorrow. You can come talk to me after that."

Now it was my turn to sigh. "Enough about my problems. How are you? All Cloven-Elderly?"

Grover smiled. "Well, as you could tell, I got all the rest of the satyrs out scouting, and we were successful. Obviously. We still have a few left here, keeping order of things."

"And spreading Pan's message?"

His smile faltered ever so slightly. "I got all the satyrs listening, seeing as how I'm, like, in charge of them, but some of the nymphs are being difficult. Odd, considering they practically _are _nature, but whatever floats their boat, right?"

I gave him a clap on the back. "I'm proud of you, G-man."

He shook his head. "No, Percy. I hardly did anything and you know it. The only major part I played was encasing Hyperion in that tree." We both smiled slightly at the memory. "Percy, you hardly ever give yourself credit for anything. You need to. Have you ever stopped to think about how much you've done? Off the top of my head, I can think of five major things, and they all involve every time you came to camp. You're a true hero, and the only things I'm proud of myself about are my girlfriend and knowing you."

I blushed yet again. That's the second person whose told me up front that they were grateful for me. Grover stood up. "Come on. It's almost past curfew. I'll be in the Council's meadow tomorrow if you need me. Night." And he walked off.

I stared up at the stars that had come out. It hit me how long we'd been talking. I saw Zoe the Huntress, and I smiled again. I know, it was sad, but maybe Grover was right. I saved the world, probably more than once. And if not the entire world, than at least my world. My world was Annabeth. And then the one thought that I'd needed to surface in my brain came to me:

I'd do anything to save Annabeth, even if she did hate me. If she was gone, my world would be gone, and then the real world would be doomed. Because I wouldn't be there to save it anymore.

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**Aw, kinda sad part right there. Kinda. YAY, Grover's back! Okay, I promise, Will's plan will be revealed in the next chapter. Maybe. Probably. Or not. We'll see. Okay, enough of my rambling. R&R! L8trz! =P**


	7. The Immortal Plan is Unveiled

**Yay, I'm updating fast! Well, it's summer now for me, and I have lots of free time. So here we go! See you at the bottom...again! =P  
Double Disclaimer: I'll spell it out: MY-NAME-IS-NOT-RICK-RIORDAN. There you go, retards who need to read this.**

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I woke up the next morning with a headache. My mind was swimming with the possibilities of what Will could have in store for me. I got dressed and headed to breakfast.

I picked up some sausage and such again, and murmured into the sacrificial flame, "Dad, thanks for sending Grover to help, and please let whatever Will's plan is work." As I sat back down, I looked again at the Athena table. I did it so often it became a habit. For the first time since before the Aphrodite girl's kiss, I caught Annabeth's eye. I tried to make my face say to her, _I'm sorry and I didn't do it, _but she just glared at me for a nanosecond and started stabbing her omelet.

I looked over at Will and he nodded. I still didn't have an appetite, and I didn't think I would until I got - at least - another hug from my now ex-girlfriend. I stood up at the same time as Will and ran up to him. "So what's your brilliant plan?" I asked him. He looked up at the sun where his father was driving his sun chariot in the form of a maserati. I guess it figures that he wouldn't go blind.

"Do you have your iPod?" he asked me. I nodded and pulled it out. "Good. I need to make a quick stop at my cabin. I'll meet you there."

We parted ways. I continued on to the dock. I sat down and dangled my toes in the water. Yes, I had shoes on. They just didn't get wet. I pulled them out and looked at the Nike swoosh on the side. I'd learned when the construction on the new cabins was done that Nike was the goddess of victory, and that the company was named after her. The idea was supposed to be that if you wore the shoes, Nike was on your side.

I thought about how much Nike must like me. I'd had a victory over Ares. I'd had a victory over Polyphemus. I'd had a victory over Atlas. I'd had a victory over Antaeus. And of course I'd had a large victory over Kronos. The only thing I was losing right now was my "fight" with Annabeth. This was Aphrodite's fault. Her words in the Arizona desert from so long ago came back to me. _Hurt. Anguish. Indecison. _We'd gotten past the indecision for both of us, her over Luke and me over Rachel, and I figured this must be the hurt. It hurt for both of us. She thought I'd kissed someone else and it hurt her. She was accusing me of something I didn't do and it hurt me. And I also knew that it hurt altogether to be apart from each other.

"Okay, Percy, I'm ready." I turned around. Will was walking toward me with a guitar in his hand and a bag slung over his shoulder. "Let's get started."

"You going to tell me the plan yet?" I asked him. No answer. Jeez, was this like commiting a murder or something? **(A/N: Yes, I'm joking you idiots!) **"Will?"

"Hm?"

"What exactly is it that I'm gonna have to do?" Again, he didn't answer. He started strumming a tune on the guitar.

"Not the same..." he muttered. "That would work..."

"Will!" I yelled.

"What?" said person asked, annoyed.

"What's your big idea?"

He sighed. "Okay, this is gonna sound like a very son-of-Apollo thing to say, but you need to sing for Annabeth."

I surprised myself with my reaction. All I did was say, "Okay."

Will was shocked. "You're sure?"

I nodded. "Yeah. But even if I start to, she won't listen. And I don't wanna have to tie her down or anything." Will opened his mouth to say something, but I interrupted him. "And no, we're not using any sort of magic."

He sighed in resignation. "Okay. We'll get to that part later. And, um, you have to do more than just sing. You have to play it too."

I nodded. "Anything. So what am I singing?"

"Gimme your iPod." I handed it to him. "Good, it's still on 'I'd Come For You.' You need to sing and play this."

Now my jaw dropped. _"That_?! I have to learn how to play _that?!" _I calmed myself down and took a deep breath. "Alright. So how do we do this?"

Will pulled out a laptop from his backpack. "We Google it." In the search engine, he typed something along the lines of: "i'd come for you - notes". When the results came up, he clicked on the first one. A page showed - from what I knew from music class - notes to play, on all the instruments used in the song. There was acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass guitar, drumset, etc. It looked like meaningless mumbo jumbo to me, but Will was looking through it like he _understood _it. Music was a mystery to me. After a minute or two, he nodded his head once. "Okay." He pulled the guitar back around to his front and started strumming the same tune as before. I realized that it was "I'd Come For You." It didn't sound too complicated. But that was just the acoustic guitar. The electric...I didn't know.

Just as Will was finishing up the song, a conch horn blew. It wasn't the camp conch horn, so it must be... "The Hunters!" We yelled in unision. We scrambled to our feet and ran to greet them. Thalia was there at the head, smiling, chin high. But before I could reach her, Annabeth did. Oh crap. She was gonna tell her side of the story, and then I'd be dead. Of course, I had witnesses. And I was invincible. But that didn't matter, she'd stab me in every spot possible until she found my "Achilles heel." I spun on my heel and ran all the way back to my cabin and locked the door as securely as possible.

It wasn't two minutes before I heard, "PERCY JACKSON GET YOUR SORRY ASS OUT HERE RIGHT NOW!" If Thalia was cussing, I knew things were bleak. She always was protective of Annabeth, from the time her and Luke had found her nearly ten years ago, when she was seven.

"No!" I yelled through the door.

"YOU BETTER BEFORE I BREAK THE GODS DAMN DOOR DOWN!" Sure enough, my door was shaking with pounds.

"Only if you promise to hear me out first!"

"Fine!" She'd only calmed down a bit, so I unlocked the door and retreated to my bunk. I yelled at her to come in. "What the HADES is WRONG with you, Jackson?!"

"Thalia!" I yelled. "Calm down! Annabeth has the wrong idea! I swear on the River Styx that is now part of me that I didn't kiss that Aphrodite girl!" Thunder boomed.

The daughter of Zeus eyeballed me. "Then why did Annabeth say-"

"Annabeth walked in at the wrong time. The girl that kissed me - kissed _me _- was new, and I have no doubt that she didn't know. You know Annabeth. She always relies on what's right in front of her."

Thalia had almost completely calmed down now. "I guess you're right about that. But how do I know you're not lying?"

"Just ask Grover or Will Solace from Apollo."

She nodded. "Okay. I'll go tell Annabeth."

I stopped her. "Thalia, no! She'll get mad at you and say you're taking my side. And she'll get madder at me for putting you up to it, which will make it harder to get her to listen to me."

"Alright, I get it," she said. As she turned to walk out the door, I stopped her again.

"Wait, one more thing. How are you with music?"

Thalia raised an eyebrow and shrugged. "I'm okay, but I can only use electric instruments."

I smiled. "Perfect." I told her about Will's plan. She was almost squealing when I was finished, which is _very _un-Thalia like.

"Aw, Percy! Of course I'll do it. You know Annabeth's like my little sister, and after all, you are my cousin."

"Thanks, Thals. Meet us in the Council of Cloven Elders' meadow after lunch and we'll explain the rest. See ya, Pinecone Face."

She half-smirked, half-scowled at me. "Later, Kelp Face." And she walked out the door.

I looked out my window to the sea. "Thanks again, Dad."

And I headed to talk to Grover.

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**Yay! Quick update and long chapter! I rock! And now Thalia's back! Random tidbit about Thalia here: is it pronounced like Talia or like THalia? 'Cause some people spell Teresa with "th." Tell me in a review. PLZ! R&R! So long, farewell, I'll see you in the morning! (Or maybe sooner.) =P**


	8. We Practice the Plan

**Wow, look at me I am fast! So here's more! Eat it up! And for my "fans," I'm sorry I haven't updated Through Her Eyes in so long. I'm working on it, but I'm reading the series for the...7th or something time. And I'm on SoM. So, yeah. Anyway, I'll meet you at the bottom! =P  
Disclaimer: You from Ares?**

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I found the newly appointed member of the Council of Cloven Elders on his "throne."

Grover looked like he hated being on display, and his face was troubled, like he was thinking hard. "Perrrcy!" he bleated.

"Hey G-man. You seem pretty excited for someone who just talked to me last night."

He blushed. "Yeah, well, I missed you this year. And last night you were pretty down."

"I was just thinking is all," I argued. "Anyway, did you hear the Hunters were back?"

He was so excited he fell out of his woven chair. "What? Is Artemis with them?"

I smirked and raised an eyebrow. "What happened to Juniper?"

"Oh. Y-yeah, r-right. I-I know," he stuttered. "But Lady Artemis is awesome! I mean Juniper..."

"Dude, I was just pulling your hoof! Calm down! Now let's focus. Who else is in the Hunters?"

Grover perked up right away. "Thalia! Where is she?"

"She's coming later. Now, about what you wanted to talk to me about last night..." I tld him Will's and my plan, and his eyes widened. He looked like he had an idea. Either that, or there was a giant enchilada buffet behind me.

"And you're serious about this?" he asked me.

"Absolutely. Now what's your idea?" He told me, and now _my _eyes widened. "You know, that just might work. Tell everyone the plan. But tell her cabin last. That way, they'll have less time to ruin it. If their mother doesn't approve of me, they won't either. And most of them never have. Oh, and Grover?"

"Yeah?"

"How are you on bass guitar?"

Grover smiled at me. "You got it, Percy." And he ran off just as the conch horn blew for lunch.

I didn't manage to catch Annabeth's eye again, and I'm glad I didn't. When she caught Thalia's, she gave her a death glare that said _Why is Percy still alive?_ I took a long route to my seat to talk to Nico. "Meet up with me when you're done," I told him.

I just grabbed a PBJ and nibbled at it half-heartedly. If I could get this plan to work...But if it failed, I had no fallback. It would be over between me and Annabeth forever. She would die mad at me, and she'd spend all eternity in Elysium hating me. At least, she should end up in Elysium. She's never done a wrong in her life, that I knew of.

I eventually gave up on trying to eat and headed back toward the meadow. Will and Thalia were already there, along with some other campers I recognized to be Will's half-siblings. They nodded at me as I emerged through the underbrush. "Good, Percy, you're here," Will said to me. "You can help us get the rest of the stuff."

I eyed him suspiciously. "You don't mean-"

"Yes, Percy, we're all going to play it. Apollo has always had a thing for Aphrodite." He winked at me and chuckled in a way that painfully reminded me of Beckendorf and, in turn, Silena. "Dave, get Percy something," Will said to one of his brothers.

Dave led me to a clearing right behind the Apollo cabin, full of music equipment. He picked up a mic stand and started to carry it back into the forest. Suddenly, I had an idea. I closed my eyes, focused, and felt a familiar tug in my gut. When I opened my eyes, all the equipment was in spheres of water. Dave came back and stared at me open mouthed. "How did you-"

"Shh," I ordered him. It was taking a lot out of me. I walked slowly forward until we got back to Will and the others. Everyone's jaws dropped as the spheres appeared. Then they saw me, and their chins lowered. It took all mmy willpower not to let them drop and break. I set them down gently, and willed them to be dry. I collapsed out of exhaustion. Thalia rushed forward, but I wasn't that worried about myself. "Water," I croaked. Somebody dumped a bucket on me. Thalia was still bent over me, and with a new surge of energy I tackled her to the ground. She grunted and pushed me off her.

"Okay," Will said. "Now that that's taken care of, we can get started." He looked at his half-siblings. "Thanks, guys." They walked in the direction of the archery range.

"Percy! Percy!" I heard someone calling.

"Nico! Over here!" I saw his dark figure appear out of the bushes.

He looked around. "Hey, cousin. What do you-"

"Ahem."

"Oh, sorry, _cousins. _Hey Thalia, good to see you!"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Took you long enough."

"So why am I here?" Nico asked.

Will explained his plan. Grover appeared out of nowhere at one point and threw in his little tidbit. When they were finished - again - Nico sighed. "Sure, Percy. Why not?"

"Thanks, man. This means a lot to me," I said. "Drums. You up for it?"

He scoffed. "I can handle armies of the dead. This is no sweat."

"I just hope you know, that if you mess this up for me, your head is going over my mantle."

The son of Hades gulped. "Thanks for the heads up."

"Okay," Will interuppted, "can we get started?"

We all got situated at our appropriate positions. "Wait," I said."Will, what are you playing?"

He pulled out a second electric guitar. "I listened to the song a few more times. It has two electric guitars and an acoustic. Now, everyone, put these on." He handed each of us a cool looking pair of sunglasses.

"What the heck are these supposed to do?" Thalia asked.

"They show whatever note you need to play," Will explained. "They make you automatically play the note, too. Your mind is still in control, though, so if you just try to play, it sounds good. But when we actually do this for real, we won't be using these. It's just for memorizing. Once your body gets used to it..." He shrugged. "Percy, do you know the song by heart?"

"Mostly. I've missed a couple of parts - I can't figure out what it says," I blushed a little. It was a little uncomfortable.

Will handed me a sheet of paper. "Those are the official lyrics. You know the tune, right?"

"Of course."

"Then lets get started."

So, we ran through the song a few times, working on what needed to be improved. After the fourth time, Will ordered we take off our glasses. We tried it again, and it sounded...okay. Nothing close to what it needed to sound like. "Don't worry," he assured us. "We've got almost two weeks." We nodded. "Meet back here tomorrow at the same time. Go ahead and leave the stuff here."

When it was just Will and I left, I talked to him. "I owe you two now."

"No you don't. I owed you one. Like you said, it was my job to heal, and then you went and saved the world. We're all in debt of you." I blushed again. I really wasn't used to people praising me so much.

"Whatever you say."

I walked back to Cabin Three and flopped down on my bunk. The River Styx was way to tiring for my liking.

But, of course, with my luck, I had to have a dream.

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**Ooh! I'm so good at cliffies! I might have one more chapter left in me for later. So, um, yeah! R&R! Bon voyage! =P**


	9. I Leave My Dreams Behind

**Yeah! I'm updating like lightning! PWNAGE! Thanks to all my reviewers! Luv ya! See you at the bottom...again! =P  
Disclaimer: I quote Patrick: MY NAME'S NOT RICK!**

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_Aphrodite was sitting in her throne on Mount Olympus. She was watching something in her mirror - most likely herself - and sqealing like crazy. "Aw, he is so sweet!" the goddess of love said. Then she looked up and straight at me. "Don't you see, Percy? This was all part of my plan. But from here on out, you're on your own. Good luck!_

_Then the scene changed. Now Rachel was staring at me from her huge room. Oh crap, my dream-self thought. Rachel's the Oracle. This can't be good. Rachel recited the old Great Prophecy, my prophecy: _

_"A half-blood of the eldest gods,  
Shall reach sixteen against all odds,  
And see the world in endless sleep,  
The hero's sould cursed blade shall reap,  
A single choice shall end his days,  
Olympus to preserve or raze."_

_I knew the meaning, but it still freaked me out. Then, the spirit of Delphi began to take over, and Rachel spoke in a rasping voice:_

_"The one that saved us all,  
Is hardly known to have a fall,  
He has a brand new task,  
The world is who he must ask,  
For if he continues to loom,  
All that will be left is doom."_

Then I woke up. I knew my dream was real, and I had a new quest. But where would I go? Who is the world? Zeus? Gaia? I had no clue. Annabeth would. I got out of bed and headed toward the beach again. To my utter surprise, Annabeth was there. I knew I couldn't just talk to her. She'd punch me or something. But something propelled me toward her. I sat down and stared for what felt like the millionth time at her curly gold locks, and her stormy-gray eyes. She couldn't tell I was there, obviously. I didn't dare try talking to her. I just looked at her and thought. I'd leave tomorrow, I decided. No one would stop me. I got up right then and there, and headed back toward my cabin. I'd go after breakfast.

I packed my stuff and went back to sleep.

*********

The next morning, I scarfed down some breakfast and bolted toward Half-Blood Hill. Just as I was about to cross over the boundaries, I heard people calling my name. I turned and saw Will, Nico, Thalia and Grover rocketing toward me as fast as they could.

"Percy!" Thalia screamed at me. "What on Earth are you doing?!"

I told them about my dream, and my prophecy. As I turned to go, Grover grabbed my shoulder. "Wait, Percy. It didn't say you had to go anywhere."

"Yeah," I said. "I know."

"Then where are you going?" Will asked me.

"I don't know. Just away from here."

"Percy, listen," Grover tried again. "I've heard about this before. If a prophecy doesn't mention a specific place, then you don't go anywhere. You have to stay here."

I looked into his eyes. They were full of pleading, but firm. I looked at everyone else. They looked the same way. I sighed. "I guess you're right. It's just..." I looked down the valley to a particular cabin with an owl on top. "Nevermind. Thanks, you guys."

"No problem," Will told me.

We headed toward the forest for an early practice.

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**Yeah, so it sucked. At least I got another chapter in. And I know the prophecy sucked. I was thinking off the top of my head, like always. Er, almost always. Okay, I'm tired. If I get a sudden burst of genius before I fall asleep tonight, then I'll try and at least write it down. R&R! Thanks everybody! Peace out! =P**


	10. My Realization

**Jeez! I am zippy! Well, we're getting close to drawing to a close. Maybe. I'm not sure. Anyway, here's yet another chapter. Bottom, here I come! =P  
Disclaimer: First point: I'm not a guy! Do the math!**

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The rest of the week went by in a blur. We practiced every day, and I could hear us gradually getting better. I wondered when we'd be ready to show Annabeth. Every night I'd see her - or sense her - out on the beach. My thoughts kept going back to my new prophecy. _The world..._ Who could that mean? I shook my head.

I walked into my cabin after yet another round of playing "I'd Come For You." It really was my favorite song, but I still wondered why Will had picked it out. Annabeth would probably know. I sighed again. I was thinking about her too much. Her birthday was now a week away. I'd never tried to talk to her, and every time I saw her, she looked worse.

I shook my head again. I flopped down on my bunk to find that I'd landed on something hard. I immediately sat back up; it had grazed the small of my back, my weak spot. I looked at the thing. It was a grey box. I opened it, and atop of stacks of pictures was a note. It read:

_Percy,_

_Don't forget the good times. Keep the faith. And most importantly, rethink your own thoughts. Good luck._

_-Chiron_

I looked at the first picture. It was of me and Annabeth, on top of everyone's shoulders as they carried us toward the canoe lake. I smiled wider than I had all week. That was the night Annabeth and I had gotten together. It was the best night of my life - so far.

The next one was of Annabeth and I sitting on the beach. Her head was on my shoulder, and my arm was around her. We were watching the sunset. That one made me sad. We used to do that every night.

I looked through them all quickly until I reached the last and most recent one. It was Annabeth and I racing down Half-Blood Hill, on the last day of camp last summer. I smiled at that one too. I'd won.

I walked outside to the sword arena. I was frustrated. Not at Annabeth, but at myself. I'd hurt her, even though it wasn't technically my fault, and I couldn't fix it. It was killing me, I knew it. I hardly ate anything, and hardly got any rest, which was killer if you bathe in the River Styx. But I knew the Ares cabin was practicing, and even though it wouldn't hurt, tiring me out seemed like a good self-punishment.

I waltzed in, looking calm and collected. All eyes turned on me, and I just nodded. I let Clarrise beat me up a little a few times, and left. It was almost time for dinner, so the sooner I got there, the sooner I could leave. If I didn't show up, it would raise some eyebrows. I didn't want the whole camp to know I was depressed.

I left after about, oh, two minutes, and went to bed early. I just lay there for the longest time, thinking, again, about my prophecy. It obviously meant me. Luke was a hero, but he was dead. And it had to be a _he_. So no Annabeth. But who was the world? It ran through my head too many times. I eventually drifted to sleep, and actually slept through the entire night for once.

Two days before Annabeth's birthday, I confronted my "band." I addresed Will, mainly. "Are we ready?"

To my complete and utter disappointment, he shook his head. "You want it to be perfect? We need to practice for most of the day, today and tomorrow."

I ran my hands through my hair. "Oh crap. This is bad." Then, the most brilliant idea ever popped into my head. I told them. Everyone's eyebrows went up in shock. I think Thalia's went the highest. She'd always agreed with Annabeth on the whole "Seaweed Brain" debate.

"You know, that's...perfect!" Nico said. "I guess Annabeth finally rubbed off on you."

I smiled. "Grover, go tell everyone. You know, the usual way." He nodded and gave me a mock-salute, then ran off.

"Hey Percy," Will said to me. He gestured toward a small spot away from Nico and Thalia.

"Yeah?" He whispered in my ear. "That's a great idea. Thanks Will."

He shrugged. "Again, no problem. Nobody willl ever be able to repay you enough. This should be a good start."

Grover came running back into the meadow. "It's going around, Percy. Where were we?"

I smiled at him. "Come on, guys. Two more days. One, two, one two three four."

The next day, when the conch horn blew for dinner, we all let out a huge sigh. "Well, tomorrow's the day. Everyone knows the plan?" I said. My friends nodded. "Good. I'll be in my cabin until Grover tells me to make a break for it. See you guys tomorrow. I'm not gonna go to dinner. If Chiron asks, tell him I'm at the beach."

Before anyone could react, I was headed toward the water to think again.

I slowed my pace as I climbed a sand dune. Annabeth was sitting right in front of it, I was sure. I moved all the way to the other side of the beach, where I knew she couldn't see me. I thought about the prophecy again. Then it hit me what it meant. It just gave me another reason to do what I was doing tomorrow.

I sat on the soft, white sand for hours, long after the sun had set. I sat until the moon was right above me, and I slipped my foot in the water to check the time. It was midnight. I walked back to bed, nervous about the next day.

But I knew what and who I needed to ask.

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**Okay, two more chapters! I'll be finishing today or tomorrow! Woo! I rock! Thank you, thank you! R&R! GoOdByE! =P**


	11. I Sing to the World

**Last chappie, people! I changed my mind on something. So, like I said, last chapter! I'm just like lightning! Look at me! I'm almost finished! Okay, here it is! It's finally unfolding! Okay, see you you-know-where! =P  
Disclaimer: The only thing I own here is the idea.**

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I woke up the next morning to my alarm blaring. While trying to turn it off, my hand closed around a small velvet box. Curious, I picked it up and opened it. Inside was the necklace Jake had made for me to give to Annabeth. Then I remembered what day it was. I pulled on my clothes and waited around. I knew I couldn't leave my cabin, so I looked through the pictures Chiron gave me again.

While I was lost in memories, Grover was somewhere convincing Annabeth to show up in a particularly large clearing.

I had to wait all day for him to call me with the empathy link. I'd brought some supplies: Will had lent me his laptop so I wasn't bored, and his guitar to let me practice a bit. I was really, really nervous. It could have been worse, but you know.

I was playing on Addicting when, in the back of my mind, I heard a faint, "Percy, hurry! It's almost time!"

I jumped and slammed the computer shut. I grabbed the guitar and bolted toward the forest.

Will was obviously relieved to see me. "Thank the gods, Percy. I'm so nervous." I gave him a look. "Don't blame me! I'm a healer and archery expert, not the music dude! I'm sure Dad'll help, though."

That reassured me...a little. Then Malcolm, Annabeth's half-brother, came running in. "She's coming! Hide!" Everyone ducked behind a tree. I delved a little deeper into the forest. Annabeth _could not, _under any circumstances, see me. We had our instruments hidden, and Will's musical brothers and sisters would use magic to somehow float them out. I took in my surroundings. There were some tables with food, and balloons. This was her birthday party. Surprise birthday party. Same difference. Then I saw Annabeth.

Her hair was down for a change, and it was especially curly. Her eyes sparkled, and her earrings from her dad were dangling from her ears. "Hello? Grover?" she called.

"SURPRISE!" Everyone jumped out, excluding me. I had to stay hidden for a while.

"Wha-Thanks, everyone!" Annabeth said, joy obvious on her face. She turned to Grover. "I thought you forgot!"

He smiled at her. "I could never forget your birthday." _Neither could I, _I thought. Then I remembered Grover probably heard that.

Then she leaned in close and whispered, "Is he here?" Grover shook his head. "Good. Thanks."

"No problem." I waited for ten minutes, when Will stepped up to the front.

"Listen up, everybody! First off, happy birthday Annabeth!" Clapping. "Now...I-er, we, as in Nico, Grover, Thalia and I, have a surprise for you." The instruments floated in. Annabeth caught her breath. Will nodded to the crowd, and they lined the clearing, forming a wall. Malcolm had temporarily stolen Annabeth's knife earlier that day. Now she wouldn't be able to escape. It was almost evil, but she needed to hear. I saw Nico nod to my hiding spot. I returned it. He, in turn, nodded to Thalia, who started playing guitar. As the lyrics started, I stepped out, and I saw Annabeth shaking - either with rage or with sorrow. **(A/N: At least read the lyrics. They really matter. I tampered a tiny, eensy weensy bit with them, but w/e. So anyway, at least read them.)**

"Just one more moment; that's all that's needed.  
Like wounded soldiers in need of healing.  
Time to be honest - this time I'm pleading.  
Please don't dwell on it, 'cause I didn't mean it.

I can't believe you thought I'd lay our love on the ground.  
But it doesn't matter 'cause she made it up - forgive me now.  
Everyday I spent away, my soul's inside out.  
Gotta be some way that I can make it up to you now, somehow.  
By now you know that:

I'd come for you.  
No one but you.  
Yes, I'd come for you.  
But only if you told me to.  
And I'd fight for you.  
I'd lie - it's true.  
Give my life for you.  
You know I'd always come for you.

I was blindfolded, but now I'm seeing.  
My mind was closing, now I'm believing.  
I finally know just what it means to let someone in.  
To see the side of me that no one does - or ever will.  
So if you're ever lost and find yourself all alone,  
I'd search forever just to bring you home, here and now, it's a vow.  
By now you know that:

I'd come for you.  
No one but you.  
Yes, I'd come for you.  
But only if you told me to.  
And I'd fight for you.  
I'd lie - it's true.  
Give my life for you.  
You know I'd always come for you. You know I'd always come for you.  
No matter what gets in my way. As long as there's still life in me. No matter what remember:  
You know I'd always come for you.

Yes, I'd come for you.  
No one but you.  
Yes, I'd come for you.  
But only if you told me to.  
And I'd fight for you.  
I'd lie - it's true.  
Give my life for you.  
You know I'd always come for you.  
No matter what gets in my way. As long as there's still life in me. No matter what remember:  
You know I'd always come for you.  
I'd crawl across this world for you. Do anything you want me to. No matter what remember:  
You know I'd always come for you.

You know I'd always come for you." I finished in a daze, just staring at her eyes. I held her gaze, dreamily handed Will the guitar, and pulled the velvet box out. I opened it and saw Annabeth catch her breath. She took it gently. I stepped closer to her. "You know I'd always come for you," I whispered. She looked up at me. I was a lot taller than her now, and was suddenly glad for it.

"You...you didn't kiss her?" she asked me, still quiet.

I chuckled and shook my head. "She practically attacked me. My lips were flat the whole time." I heard everyone scuffling further away. "My turn to ask you a question, Annabeth."

She stood in the same position, but I could see her tense. I hardly ever actually called her by her name unless it was serious. "Yeah, Percy?"

I looked up at the sky, where Aphrodite was putting her plan in action. I took a deep, slightly shaky breath. "Do you love me?" Her face turned practically emotionless.

I thought she was going to slap me as she leaned in toward my ear. Then she said, so quiet _I _could barely hear it, "With all my heart." I looked at her, stunned. "Do...do you?" she asked me, still in the same volume.

The prophecy came back to me. "You're my world, Annabeth. I wouldn't have it any other way." And then, for the first time in two weeks, we kissed. It felt so good to hold her in my arms again. We broke apart. I looked away from her for the first time, and saw that we were alone. I looked back at her. "Just so you know, you just saved the world."

She looked at me, drop-dead serious. "What?" I told her my prophecy, and she sighed in contentment. "Are you serious, Percy? You'd d..." the word failed as she tried to say it, "for me?"

"Yes, I would Annabeth. You are my world. And if you left, the rest of the world would be doomed, because I wouldn't be there to save them from anything else." We started walking towards the beach. "So how was your birthday?" I asked my once more girlfriend.

Annabeth smiled, the once I'd missed so much. "The best yet." And she kissed me again. Then she just lay in my arms, on the sand. We stayed like that for the rest of the night, until we fell asleep.

I'd found the world, and realized I'd saved it too many times to count.

My world was Annabeth, and I'd figured it out on her birthday.

* * *

**Okay, that's it! I'm done! Fin! The End! Goodnight everybody! =P =pjopercabeth12**


	12. Author's Note

**Author's Note:**

**Okay, so yeah, it's the end of the story. I have Through Her Eyes in progress, but I don't feel like working on that right now. So, bottom line is:**

**I NEED INSPIRATION!**

**I had a couple of ideas, but they vanished. So, go ahead and click the little button in green letters and send me an idea! Either that, or write something yourself and I could get an idea from it. And no, I'm not telling you to send me a story. Maybe you just think that I could write it better than you can, or something. So, thanks! PeAcE, pEoPLe! =****P**


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